spare the rod and spoil the child

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Commonly claimed to have come from the King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 13:24: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” Due to the associated “spoil" concept which is not in the Bible, it more likely came from a 17th-century poem by Samuel Butler called Hudibras. In the poem, a love affair is likened to a child, and spanking is mockingly commended as a way to make the love grow stronger. The actual verse reads: : What medicine else can cure the fits Of lovers when they lose their wits? Love is a boy by poets styled Then spare the rod and spoil the child.

33 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Chinese Mandarin: 不打不成器 (bù dǎ bù chéng qì) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Chinese Mandarin: 省了棍子,慣壞了孩子 /省了棍子 — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Chinese Mandarin: 惯坏了孩子 (shěng le gùnzi, guànhuài le háizi) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Chinese Mandarin: 三天不打,上房揭瓦 (sāntiānbùdǎ, shàngfángjiēwǎ) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Danish: den man elsker, tugter man — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Dutch: zachte heelmeesters, stinkende wonden — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Esperanto: amo kaj puno loĝas komune — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Finnish: joka vitsaa säästää, se lastaan vihaa — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• French: qui aime bien, châtie bien — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• German: wer mit der Rute spart, verzieht das Kind — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• German: wer sein Kind liebt, der schlägt es — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Greek: όποιος αγαπά, τιμωρεί (ópoios agapá, timoreí) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Ancient Greek: ὃς φείδεται τῆς βακτηρίας μισεῖ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν ἐπιμελῶς παιδεύει (hòs pheídetai tês baktērías miseî tòn huiòn autoû, ho dè agapôn epimelôs paideúei) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Hebrew: חוֹשֵׂךְ שִׁבְטוֹ, שׂוֹנֵא בְנוֹ (khosékh shivtó soné b'no) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Hungarian: néha jól jön egy jól irányzott pofon — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Hungarian: elkel néha egy jól irányzott pofon — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Italian: chi ama bene, castiga bene — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Japanese: 可愛い子には旅をさせよ (kawaii ko ni wa tabi o sase yo) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Japanese: 獅子の子落とし (shishi no ko otoshi) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Korean: 고운 자식 매로 키운다 (goun jasik maero kiunda) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Latin: quī bene amat, bene castīgat — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Polish: dzieci trzeba trzymać krótko — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Portuguese: quem ama, castiga — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Spanish: escatima el palo y malcría al hijo — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Spanish: quien bien te quiere, te hará llorar — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Spanish: la letra con sangre entra — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Swedish: den man älskar, agar man — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Swedish: aga din son medan han är liten, annars agar han dig när han blir stor — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Telugu: మొక్కై వంగనిది మానై వంగున (mokkai vaṅganidi mānai vaṅguna) — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Turkish: insan sevdiğine takılırmış — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Vietnamese: cá không ăn muối cá ươn — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Vietnamese: thương cho roi cho vọt, ghét cho ngọt cho bùi — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility
• Vietnamese: thương cho roi cho vọt — if one does not discipline a child he or she will never learn respect or humility